Pet bylaw debated

Orillia Today

ORILLIA - “Who measures the snake?”
It was likely the first time that question had ever been posed in Orillia’s council chamber.
On the receiving end of the recent query from Coun. Linda Murray was Keith Burgess, a representative from the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada.
The national association promotes standards of care and professionalism within the pet industry, providing education and certification programs.
Under an exotic animal policy developed for municipalities, the group recommends prohibiting ownership of any snake over three meters.
Lizards should not exceed two meters.
It appears that size does indeed matter.
“You can add anaconda, but it is redundant, because they grow bigger than three meters,” Burgess added.
His presentation came as council mulls a possible easing of the rules for harmless snakes after introducing a wide-ranging ban on exotic pets last summer.
Many smaller varieties of pythons and boas make harmless house pets, said Burgess.
“It’s the big ones that give the small ones a TV-like bad rep,” he added in an interview with reporters.
The organization recommends prohibiting ownership of six species and one subspecies of snake: the green and yellow anaconda, the reticulated python, the African rock python, the Burmese python, the Indian python, and the Amethyst python.
All are covered by the three-meter rule and “are recognized for their nasty disposition,” Burgess added in a report.
Non-venomous snakes under three meters pose no more risk to public health and safety than “your average dog or cat,” he told council.
Corn snakes, milk snakes, bull snakes and king snakes are permitted under the local bylaw, provided they were not captured in the wild.
Burgess said his organization was “unaware of any incidents/statistics of death or serious injury involving snakes in Canada.”
Burgess recommended council consider adopting the three-meter rule, prompting the question from Murray.
City bylaw officers would measure the snake.